Tony De Zorzi frustrates Pakistan in Lahore with a spectacular century for South Africa

Tony De Zorzi slams first hundred against Pakistan in first Test [Source: AFP]

South Africa batter Tony De Zorzi bounced back brilliantly after a rough patch in his career to score his second Test century against Pakistan in the first Test at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday. 

Coming into Day 3 with South Africa trailing by 162 runs, De Zorzi resumed his innings on 81 and calmly guided his team through a tricky situation.

Tony De Zorzi celebrates first century against Pakistan

The memorable incident occurred in the 75th over of South Africa’s first innings, when De Zorzi first hit a six off bowler Noman Ali and then completed his century with a single on the last ball of the over. Overjoyed, he celebrated by showing his bat to the dressing room, signalling the hard work and determination that went into the knock.

Notably, this was De Zorzi’s first century against Pakistan; his debut hundred had come earlier against Bangladesh in 2024. Meanwhile, this century is particularly notable as the last time a South African scored a hundred in Pakistan was in 2021, while the last century in Lahore came way back in 2007.

Here’s a look at some of South Africa’s past centuries against Pakistan:

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However, the 28-year-old batter eventually got out to Noman Ali in the 77th over, finishing on 104 runs. His innings included 10 boundaries and two sixes, and it played a crucial role in helping South Africa handle Pakistan’s spin attack effectively.

De Zorzi attempted to play an attacking shot but misjudged it, sending the ball straight to Shaheen Afridi at long-on. Afridi made a spectacular diving catch, ensuring that the batter had no chance. 

Meanwhile, earlier in the match, Pakistan set a challenging total of 378 runs in their first innings after winning the toss and opting to bat first. The biggest contributions came from Imam ul-Haq and Agha Salman, who scored 93 runs each.

At the time of writing this article, South Africa are currently at 263 for 8, still trailing by 115 runs.

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